Kaito Jiraiya
Kaito Statistics Real Name 大串由加里 (Kaito Jiraiya) Ring Name(s) J!, Jiraiya, Kaito Nicknames Japanese Hero, Rising Son, Black Dragon Height 173cm (5ft 9in) Weight 86.3kg (~190 lbs) Born January 4, 1982 Hometown Hanishina-gun, Nagano, Japan Current Residence Naha-shi, Okinawa, Japan Trainer unknown Debut July 1999 Entrance Theme Akitaka Tohyama "Ka-En-No-Mai" Kaito (????? Kaito, real name Jiraiya Kaito, last name first as it is written in Japan) is a professional wrestler employed by Total Non-Stop Wrestling since 2004. He is the current TNW World Heavyweight champion, and only person in the company to hold the title on more than one occasion. He is also a former TNW Ultimate X champion. Currently residing in Naha, Okinawa, Japan, he has been wrestling in America on and off for the past 5 years. History New Japan It wasn't until 1999 that Kaito got his start in the wrestling world at age 17. It was then that he was signed to New Japan. Here, he had his first few matches under the masked identity of "J!"... "J!" being New Japan's adaptation of a superhero. Under this name, "J!" would concentrate more on his superhero poses than he would his opponents. He would assume this identity for three months before ultimately losing his mask in a Mask vs Career match against Kenji Yasutoko. To this day, Kaito considers Kenji Yasutoko to be an ally after having helped him finally rid himself of the masked identity. His next role in New Japan would be that of his actual self. This time he would be known only by his last name, "Jiraiya". This would be the identity that made him well known throughout the Japanese wrestling circuit. "Jiraiya" was simply put a "samurai possessed." He would approach every match in samurai-like attire with the intention of fighting until he could not fight anymore. It was this act of bravery that catapulted him up in the rankings in New Japan. Under this identity, he would go on to win the Jr. Heavyweight championship a total of 6 times and spark feuds with Tiger Mask and Jushin Thunder Liger. While wrestling for New Japan, Jiraiya would make several appearances in other promotions as well. Most notably All Japan and Michinoku Pro. XSF But it wasn't until March of 2001 that Jiraiya was approached by a wrestling promoter from America about a possible stint overseas in a company known as Xtreme Street Fighting. Jiraiya, age 19 at the time, was uneasy about wrestling in a place that he wasn't familiar with, but he took the offer anyway. The company got its start at the same time that Jiraiya's American wrestling career began. Within two weeks after making his American debut, Jiraiya became the first-ever XSF Heavyweight champion by dethroning Mike Kinkade on the first episode of XtremEMeasureZ. However, the title reign would only last a week as he would lose it to FastFashion at the following XtremEMeasureZ show. Jiraiya would spend a year wrestling for the promotion and ultimately go on to align himself with the biggest stable in the company, the Ruff Ryders. He would also win the International Title on 2 separate occasions, as well as secure the Tag Team titles on 3 different occasions (with different partners each time). Thus becoming the most decorated wrestler in XSF history. It was also in this promotion that he was dubbed the "Rising Son"... a name that would stick around with him for years. GFWA Omega About halfway through his stint in XSF, Jiraiya was contacted by a small independent promotion about working a few shows with them. The promotion was an offspring of the original Global Wrestling Federation of America (GFWA) called GFWA Omega, or "gO" for short. No sooner had he entered the promotion in November 2001, Jiraiya was aligned with the New Dynasty, lead by Bronx and Brooklyn, and was immediately thrown into the Omega Championship picture by competing for the belt against Jonny Casanova. He would win the title amidst a ton of controversy and would spend the next month proving himself to be worthy of the title. He would finish off the year having proved his worth but ultimately losing the Omega Championship to Angelica Dawson on New Year's Eve. Jiraiya would continue to compete in the promotion for 6 more months. During this time, he had accomplished the unthinkable by defeating the Heavyweight Champion, Frostie, in a non-title match, thus earning him a shot at becoming the new GHC Heavyweight champion. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be as Frostie, after several tries to put the Rising Son away, finally managed to do so. From there, Jiraiya would regroup from the bumps and scars, and become involved in a Triple Crown rally for the coveted Triple Crown Titles... which consisted of a Junior Title, a TV Title, and an Extreme Title. At the close of the company, Jiraiya would ultimately win the Triple Crown Titles by defeating the person that brought him in... Bronx. FCW and wWC Before Jiraiya would be faced with returning to Japan, he would be approached by another independent promotion known as First Class Wrestling. He would periodically wrestle for this promotion while also appearing in various other promotions throughout the world. During his tenure in and out of FCW, Jiraiya was approached by a recruiter for an up-and-coming promotion looking to make it into the big leagues... World Wrestling Corporation. Jiraiya was signed to a long-term deal, but the company faltered 4 months after it had started. So Jiraiya found himself back in FCW wrestling on a part-time basis again. During this run, he managed to make a splash in the Xtreme Fighting and Cruiserweight divisions. TWC Jiraiya's first true test of his abilities came within a few months after his second run in FCW began. An Independent promotion known as Tradition Wrestling Council expressed a great interest in signing the young Japanese superstar. It was in this promotion that Jiraiya's charisma, endurance, and physicality would be tested to the utmost extremes. It was in this promotion that the Kaito Jiraiya we know of today exists... the one that is willing to put his very own life on the line just to achieve victory, no matter who is in the ring with him... ally or enemy. Some sources say that while competing for TWC, Jiraiya lost several ounces of blood and had broken his ankle, a few ribs, and fractured part of his skull. Despite all of this, Jiraiya refused to give up during his matches, instilling a sense of fear in his opponents. It was these acts that caused those in the TWC locker room to respect him. However, Jiraiya was not happy with having to commit his life week in and week out, so he and TWC parted ways. FCW, the third run Jiraiya would return to FCW for a third run. In this run, he would adhere to the nickname he earned while in TWC... the Black Dragon. With the new nickname came a new attitude toward everyone, as well as the second highest prize FCW had to offer... the International Championship. Jiraiya would be the last person to hold the International Championship as during his run, it was converted into the TV Title. Within a few months after Jiraiya had returned for his third run, FCW met its untimely finish as well and closed its doors in June 2004. Jiraiya would not hear from another wrestling promotion ever again. TNW That was... until a month later. While residing in Naha, Jiraiya was contacted by the former head of wWC about participating in a new company he was running, called Total Non-Stop Wrestling. Without any hesitation, Jiraiya agreed to the terms and became TNW's first signee. His first act was to be among the original 16 members of the roster in a tournament to crown a new World Heavyweight champion. However, Jiraiya was eliminated in the first round. But that wouldn't stop him as a month later, he would make a name for himself by defeating three other people in a 2-Tier Cage Match to become the first-ever Ultimate X champion. Jiraiya would then continue to raise the bar in that division, until tragedy struck. Jiraiya's then-girlfriend, Sasuki Miko, would be kidnapped by a group known as The Suits, lead by the owner of TNW, Daz Van Dyke. Jiraiya would be faced with the ultimate decision... give up the Ultimate X title, win the World Heavyweight title, and win Miko back? Or keep the Ultimate X title and never see Miko again? Reluctantly, Jiraiya gave up the Ultimate X title for a shot at the World Heavyweight champion at the November supercard, Redemption. After almost 45 minutes, Jiraiya would do the unthinkable and defeat the then-undefeated champion. Jiraiya became the 2nd World Heavyweight champion and ultimately won back Miko. Jiraiya would finish off the year still the World Heavyweight champion. 2005 would be the year "better off less-talked-about" for Jiraiya. Despite starting off the year defending his title against Jostrodomus inside a Steel Cage, Jiraiya would begin having credibility issues. He would begin losing match after match on the road to the next supercard, Conviction, and his next title defense against Omar Owens. The pressure started getting to the champion, causing him to lose the title to Omar at Conviction in February. Things only got worse as the year progressed. Jiraiya began struggling to achieve victories in his matches, only to fall short of his goals. Bound For Glory 2 would be the last show Jiraiya competed in before his contract expired. Thus ending the era of the Rising Son. Jiraiya wouldn't be seen on TV again or in any other promotion for the next nine months. It wouldn't be until March of 2006 that Jiraiya was contacted by then-acting Commissioner of TNW, The Butcher. In one of his last roles in office, The Butcher would sign Jiraiya to a new TNW contract, but suggested that Jiraiya compete in the developmental leagues before returning to the TNW airwaves. Jiraiya would spend two months in the developmental leagues, honing his craft and ultimately changing his attitude and style. Thus giving birth to what the world witnessed in May. Jiraiya made his triumphant return to the TNW airwaves by targeting then-World Heavyweight champion, Scorpion, and almost lighting him on fire. The world watched in shock and horror as Jiraiya became known as the "Black Dragon", Kaito. An entity that cared only about inflicting pain on those he faced. He was quicker, stronger, and also delievered his strikes with much more force and with great precision. It would be this entity that would tear through the ranks throughout the remainder of 2006, engaging in a seemingly blood feud with JJ Biggs and becoming World Heavyweight champion for the second time at Redemption 3 in October... in a match designed by Kaito himself, the Ring of Fire! * Ring of Fire This match has only made it to the airwaves once in Kaito Jiraiya's illustrious career. The match has only taken place twice... once in Japan and once in America. It is a match designed to keep intruders out and the participants in. The ring would be surrounded on the outside area by a ring of fire that would be lit at the sound of the bell. There are No Countouts and No Disqualifications. If you happened to be burned by the fire, you do not lose the match. The match would continue regardless. The only way to win the match would be by pinfall or submission. Kaito and JJ Biggs fought in this grueling match at Redemption 3 in October for Biggs' World Heavyweight title. Both members suffered severe burns from the match, but it was Kaito who was able to shut out the pain long enough to capture the win. No one knows if this match will ever surface in another TNW event again, but it will go down in the books as one of the most grueling matches in TNW history. Finishing and Signature Moves JIENDO!!! (Front-Flip Legsweep DDT)* RYUBATSU (several variations of the Dragon Sleeper or Dragon Clutch) RYUBAKUDAN (Inverted Swanton Bomb) Ore Ga Kaito! (Inverted Hurricanrana) Dragonrana Asai DDT Fisherman's Buster Rolling Thunder/Standing Moonsault combo Koppo Kick Nipsegiuri Enzigiuri Facewash Headscissors Takedown into a Headscissor Armbar * * denotes that Kaito Jiraiya is forbidden to execute the move in Japan Title History XSF Heavyweight Title (1) XSF International Title (2) XSF Tag Team Titles (3, all with different partners) gO Omega Title (1) gO Triple Crown Titles (1, last to hold) FCW International Title (1) FCW Xtreme Fighting Title (1) FCW Cruiserweight Title (2) wWC International Title (1) TNW World Heavyweight Title (2, currently held) TNW Ultimate X Title (1) Notable Feuds * Dude of Berk (XSF) * Jonny Casanova (gO) * Bronx (gO) * Jolly Potter (wWC) * The Suits (TNW) * JJ Biggs (TNW) External Links * Website of Jiraiya Kaito * TNW Website Kaito Kaito